Carly POV -
I have always loved how they hate being apart, they are always together when they are home and I find it adorable. I hope me and James are like that. I give Jackie a quick kiss on the cheek and give Chris a one armed hug settling into the seat beside him just as James walks in, carrying an armful of fresh vegetables, which he delivers to his mum before he comes and gives me a peck on the cheek.
When we talked earlier we had agreed we would wait until after everyone had finished their dinner to tell them our news, I didn't want to risk spoiling their appetites after they both worked hard all day, even though James assured me it wouldn't break their hearts, I just wasn't convinced yet. James gently takes my hand and pulls me to my feet, guiding me out of the room. Just as we are about to cross the threshold, Jackie turns to us, ladle in hand and lets us know that dinner will be ready in half an hour and reminds us to keep his door open. I giggle at this, if only they knew…
James pulls me along and we ascend the stairs, but we aren't heading to his room, it is that time of day again, we are heading to the small balcony that rests outside the window of the hallway. From there, we climb up to the flat section of roof and settle in to watch the sunset. It is James' favourite time of day, one that he often tells me he never misses if he can help it but he also always says that he especially loves it when I am there with him, sharing in the moment with him. As the sky turns to its brilliant shades of rose and lilac, James takes a deep breath in, deeply inhaling, as if attempting to fill himself with the very air around us, just like he always does. Then, we get comfortable, James wraps his arms around me and we settle in for the light show, me sitting comfortably in between his legs and we watch in silence as the sun slowly descends, disappearing into the horizon. We simply enjoy the tranquillity of the moment, the peace we find with each other and the beauty of a sunset.
"Are you ready for this?" I ask, my nerves are spiking despite the calm scenery surrounding me. The sky is taking on a deep purple hue now and it is time for us to head back inside for dinner.
"Yep," James springs to his feet, popping his 'p' and brushing the dust from his trousers before helping me up and doing the same to my legs. I swat at his hands before he can 'dust' my behind and do it myself.
"None of your funny business, mister," I pretend to scowl at him and he chuckles, taking my hand lightly and helping me keep my balance as we make our way back inside. Once inside, James shuts the balcony door and draws the curtains, like he always does, and we make our way back downstairs and into the dining room where we find his dad sitting at the head of the table and his mum laying out a couple of dishes for us to serve ourselves. The smell that fills the air is meaty and fresh, there are bowls of fresh vegetables dotted around and a huge bowl filled to the brim with a casserole that makes me hungry just by looking at it. James takes a seat to the right of his dad and I take a quick peek into the kitchen to make sure Jackie is done before sitting down opposite him. Jackie is the last of us to sit down and I quickly jump back to my feet and begin passing the warm bowls around so that everyone can help themselves. If I hadn't done it then James would have, neither of us will let Jackie serve us after she has spent hours in the kitchen preparing the dinner. We all fill our plates but no matter who is ready first, everyone waits for everybody else to be seated with full plates before we all tuck in.
James POV -
After spending the day with Carly, skipping lessons, I head home, bursting with the urge to tell my mum and dad what I know. But I need to prove to Carly that this is a good thing, a great thing, and if I tell them now then their reactions later will be rehearsed and she won't believe that they are happy. I know my parents will be happy for us, they know what Carly means to me, they know we are destined to be together, and the idea of grandbabies is one that will bring my mother to her knees.
I was so on edge by the time that Carly got here that I couldn't stay in the same room as them. I needed to centre myself before I simply cried out the news before Carly was ready, and the best way for me to do that was to watch the sunset with the love of my life in my arms allowing the serenity of the sunset to settle me.
Once the sun had set behind the treeline, Carly and I made our way back, I even managed to get her to giggle at my feeble attempts to cop a feel. I was glad that my actions had her tension and nervousness evaporating, even if for just a moment. We made our way to the dining room and as was the norm when Carly was here, we settled into our seats and served the food my mother lovingly prepared for us. We all ate heartily of the casserole my mum made, she was an amazing cook. According to her it had nothing to do with the magic that flowed through her veins, it was all about the love she had for those she was cooking for. Either way I always had room for seconds and in some cases even for third helpings. We all chatted amicably throughout the meal, Carly was a little distracted but other than a sideways glance in my direction, neither of my parents commented, their magic allowed them to be insightful to others' emotions. But they also knew that whatever was on Carly's mind, either she would tell them or I would fill them in later, so they didn't bring it up. Once the plates had been cleared Carly helped my mum clear the table while Dad and I washed and dried the dishes and put them all in their rightful places. The leftovers were stored in the fridge and the unused vegetables were put in the veggie rack in the corner by the back door. Mum put the coffee machine on and laid out some cookies on a tray. While mum made the coffee I made a cup of hot chocolate for Carly which was normal, Carly doesn't drink coffee so that wouldn't give my parents a hint, and we carried it all into the living room where dad and Carly were sitting quietly watching the news on the television.
I set the tray down and handed out the cups and was suddenly besieged with an influx of nerves as I took a seat next to Carly. Mum and Dad watched the last 5 minutes of the news while Carly and I internally prepared ourselves for what was to come. When the closing medley of the news brought me out of my thoughts I noticed that Carly hadn't touched her drink. I put my hand gently on her arm so as not to startle her and when she made eye contact with me I could see the fear in them. She was terrified that they would turn against her, that they would be disappointed in us and angry with her. Seeing her sheer distress brought me out of my own nerves, I just knew they would be happy, and I gave her a soft smile before clearing my throat to get their attention. Carly sank further into the sofa as though wishing it would swallow her up, while I perched on the edge, eager to share our news with the two people in the world that I trusted as much as I did Carly.
Even knowing in my heart just how happy they would be, it was a huge relief when they reacted to our news with such happiness. Carly's nerves had passed to me for a moment, but my Mum, bless her heart, nearly fainted when I said that we were going to have a baby,, but she recovered quickly when she looked at Carly, she could clearly see the terror in Carly's eyes, shining as though she were close to tears. That brought my mum out of herself enough to turn the focus onto Carly and help her understand.
"Oh, dearie, don't look so frightened, this is wonderful, absolutely wonderful, isn't it Chris, love." Carly had sunk down as low as she could by this point and my Mum, who had already zeroed in on her discomfort, immediately went into what I like to call Mother-Mode. She pulled Carly out of the sofa, and wrapped her up in a bear hug, her voice quivering as she tried to contain her excitement.
"Indeed," dad intoned, discreetly wiping a tear from the corner of his eye, "Wonderful, a grandbaby, thought I'd have to wait years for this. You have made us all very happy dear." Dad took Carly's hands and maintained eye-contact while he spoke. I could practically hear the lump forming in Carly's throat as she finally began to understand that everyone in this house was happy about the news.
"Were you worried we would be mad?" My Mum asks, one of her arms still wrapped around Carly. Carly nods shyly, probably feeling embarrassed by the attention, but she was going to have to get used to that, the whole coven would be thrilled with this news. "Well, now you don't have to worry, do you dearie, we are thrilled for you, and we will be here for you through every step and milestone, you only need to worry about yourself, ya hear me?" Carly nods again, apparently robbed of the ability to speak.
As a part of a coven, a new baby is a blessing, it means the continuation of our line, as well as being an integral part of the circle of life that we deem so important for our craft, it means out lineage will continue to be passed down through the generations, our magic will not die, it is considered a blessing. Everything must have balance for our magic to flow smoothly and nothing brings balance to the world more than the birth of an innocent baby. My entire coven would know of Carly's pregnancy before the night was out. But I knew they wouldn't tell anyone outside of the coven. It wasn't our way. Gossip fosters secrecy and lies, negativity which would affect any magic we tried to use as a whole.
The only thing I was struggling with now was when to tell her. She needed to know my truth, our child's truth. Our child would be half witch from birth and half witches were witches, no questions, their powers were as strong as ours, it isn't like the magic is watered down by human blood, the magic half merges with the human half and mutates it, Carly would need to accept that. I was sure she would, she loves me, I know she, I can't see that changing, we wouldn't have been destined if my magic would pose a problem for her or for us as a couple. But I just don't know when to tell her? Do I tell her before we leave? Do I wait until we are settled? Do I wait until after the baby so as not to risk my unborn child's life from the stress this could cause Carly? I need to talk to my parents about this, they will know best how to proceed here. For now though, this is Carly's moment, I can talk to my parents about this after she leaves.